Wednesday, September 13, 2006

The Undead

I have already addressed the issue of plying statistics (see When Dead Isn't Dead), but the stance underlying the duplicity in the U.S. military briefings which had stated a 46% (or 52%) drop in violent deaths in Iraq troubles me.

Over 1,500 Iraqis died violently in August, nearly the same number as had died in July. In other words, over 3,000 dead Iraqis in two months, in Baghdad alone. And yesterday, America was mourning the one-time loss of 2,550 Americans in 9-11. Seems a touch ethnocentric.

And President Bush says, even with the benefit of hindsight, he would do it all again--not a thing differently. Sounds like the lyrics to some morbid C & W song, where the unrequited lover hangs onto the shard of what was, even though it was doomed from the start.